Claws and Wands
by Dr.Bartholomew.J.Tucker
Summary: In an act of rebellion and defiance to the Dark Lord, the Golden Trio have summoned a Daemon. But this isn't just any Daemon. Saya Irino, aka Black Gold Saw, is an otherself. How will the Golden Trio react to a daemonic addition to their motley crew? Continue reading to find out! Rated M for rather obvious reasons to come... Definite character bashing incoming.
1. Chapter 1

_**New story alert... Not really. I was planning on doing at least one story for every otherself, so this was always on the plate. Now, I sort of just threw this one together, so I'm sorry if it's confusing. This story doesn't exactly require an extensive knowlege of Black Rock Shooter, and I will be taking several intellectual liberties with some of Saya's skills and attributes. There will likely be a rewrite for this, as I am not really satisfied with my work here...**_

 _ **I do not own Black Rock Shooter or Harry Potter, they belong respectively to Huke and J.K. Rowling respectively.**_

Chapter 1: Summoning a Devil

"Explain to me why we're doing this again?" asked Harry, watching as Hermione drew a circle of strange symbols, occasionally refering to a piece of parchment to ensure accuracy.

Ron pulled a face as he caught a whiff of the incense being burnt for the ritual. "Well, You-Know-Who isn't going to play fair, is he? The evil bastard aready sent Dementors after you, so we might as well sic something on him." He glanced ruefully at the incense. "Can we hurry this along? That incense stinks."

"Yeah, I guess..." Harry sighed, and then frowned at the bubbling cauldron in the center of a large, intricate circle of Latin and oriental symbols. "Some of these ingredients for this thing are pretty strange though. Dragon's Blood, Cursed Ashes, a watering can? What is that even for?"

"Well, I suppose that's what happens when I ask Luna for advice..." Ron muttered. "My question, though, is why she had a complete ritual that uses two different languages. And why was she carrying it with her?"

Hermione stood up, checking the parchment and summoning circle for any discrepancies, "Sometimes, I think it's best _not_ to ask." She shook her head, remembering the few times she had spoken to the rather odd Ravenclaw girl.

Ron glanced at her, stunned that she had uttered those words, "Right... Can we do this already? I think I might retch if I have to smell that incense any more."

Hermione nodded, "Yes. It's done. And while the ingredients might be a little... wayward, I checked them against a book in the Black Library, and the arithmatic principals checked out."

"It came from the shelf that bleeds, didn't it?"

Hermione glared shrewdly at Harry before pulling out a wooden flute and sheet music, both provided by Luna. It had taken her some time to gather all of the ingredients needed, but luckily Luna had the more difficult ones already stashed away.

"It just makes me wonder why Luna has stuff for... well, _this."_ Ron frowned, taking up a position opposite of Hermione. "I mean, she wasn't always this odd, but she was always nice."

Harry shrugged, having never spoken to the aformentioned Luna Lovegood, "No clue. You were the one who talked to her."

Ron nodded sullenly, "Yeah, I know. I think she was saying something about having the power Rotfang didn't have control over and my eyes sort of... glazed over. The next thing I knew she was dumping everything in my hands."

Harry sighed, "Then how did I agree to... all of this?"

"Because you wanted us to do something that would prevent him from winning," Replied Hermione. "If we don't kill him, then we die." Then she sat down and began playing the flute. The music was simple enough, falling up in down in a rather predictable pattern. The low notes invoked a rather depressing feeling, whereas the high, lively notes were joyous and happy. The swaying emotions brought back a mixture of memories in Harry. At one point he was reliving his first quidditch match and the elation he felt, and the next he was seeing Cedric Diggory on the ground, and the crushing pain of defeat and grief hit him again.

The emotional rollercoaster went on for some time, beggining to drain the trio of teenagers, who failed to realize that the ritual was fueled by their emotions, the stronger the better. As the music began to fade out and Hermione felt out the remaining notes, the music continued to flow through them, around them, and into the cauldron itself. She finally set the flute aside, speaking the words given by Luna, "Master of the Other World, living between and within our souls, in the name of Harry James Potter, I command you to send a murderous and cunning creature to his side."

A pulse of power radiated from the cauldron generating a brilliant, multicolored flash of light. The three Hogwarts students yelped and covered their eyes. A crescendo of whispering voices flooded the room, speaking in languages none of them could understand. A rush of air pushed them against the wall as something burst from the cauldron and hit the floor with a sound similar to a butcher's knife against a cutting board. The light finally died down, allowing them to open their eyes and see just what they had summoned. It was a girl, maybe a little bit older than Harry, but it was hard to tell. She had deep red hair that went past her knees, and a pair of bright red horns on her head. Scarlet eyes stared blankly from a pale, thin face, shining with an unearthly light. If you looked closely, one could pick out a series of white concentric rings rippling away from white irises.

Her attire consisted of a pair of black thigh shorts, held up by a thick white belt, and a black jacket that did little to actually cover her midriff. The jacket was open to reveal a simple black bikini top. On her sleeves, which billowed out at the elbow, the magi could see two white stars. Then they saw the armor. Blood red, covering her arms and most of her legs. Well, at least her legs were actually armoured. Her hands though... They appeared to be solid metal and the size of dinner plates. The skeletal appendages creaked slightly as she lifted them to her face and gave them an experimental flex.

"Bloody hell..."

Her eyes shot to Ronald, who whispered the phrase fearfully. With a flash of light, a gargantuan sword appeared at her side, digging into the floor. She opened her mouth, speaking in a soft voice, "Who summoned me?"

The golden trio blinked, surprised at the soft tone. Hermione cleared her throat, "We did. And by the seal we used, you are bound to him."

The girl flicked her sword out, pointing it at Hermione with little to no effort. The trio held their breath, suddenly regretting their decision to summon a daemon. Then the sword vanished, and she held out her open palm, inspecting a large seal that had appeared their. "Interesting... I was unaware humans could summon creatures from my realm." She bowed slightly. "I am Black Gold Saw, the Otherself of Saya Irino, and Overseer of the Otherworld."

Harry nodded, "Nice to er... Meet you. Do you already know why you're here?"

Black Gold Saw glanced at the seal on her hand, inspecting the Japanese around it closely, "Well, if my younger sibling were here, she could translate the Latin... But the Japanese says I have to kill someone? A Tom Marvolo Riddle? But there's more than one target... Why?"

Hermione inspected the seal, inching closer to the Daemon with a wary expression, "Ummm... I don't really know. There should be only one target. But this is showing seven, with one of them filled in. That can't be right."

A knock on the door caused the trio to jump in surprise as Sirius stuck his head in the room, "Heard some noises in here, so I thought I'd check in on you lot." He raised an eyebrow, noticing the armoured girl. "Harry, Ron, aren't you a bit young for a whore? And Hermoine, I didn't know you swung that way."

The trio opened their mouths to protest the statement, but the daemon beat them too it. In a mere instant, Sirius was pinned to the wall and the door was slammed shut. Black Gold Saw held him up by his throat, her metal hands digging into his skin. "I am Black Gold Saw, Overseer of the Otherworld. I am not one of your common whores you would find at a brothel!" Her eyes radiated rage despite her positively emotionless expression. She held up her hand, displaying the seal on the back of her hand. "Call me that again, and I will permanently rearrange your anatomy."

Sirius grinned sheepishly, holding up his hands in surrender as Black Gold Saw dropped him, walking across the room. He rubbed his throat tenderly, looking at the students, "So... you summoned a daemon-"

"Otherself!"

"Right, an otherself, no clue what that is... You summoned an Otherself to kill Voldemort?" He thought back to the Seal he saw on the creature's hand, and a second question popped into existance. "And his middle name is Marvolo?"

"Yes," Hermione grimaced. "It seemed like a good idea at the time."

Sirius grinned, "Now, where have I heard that before? Did you write the seal?"

"No, that was Luna."

"Luna?"

"Lovegood."

"Lovegood..." Sirius frowned thoughtfully. "Oh, the Lovegoods! Of course. Well, I'm afraid I don't know either of the languages used on that thing, so I'll have Remus look over it later. Dumbledore too... Let's not tell Molly about this yet."

Ron gulped, suddenly realizing the implications of summoning a Daemon in the presence of the Weasley matron, "Y-yeah... I agree."

Sirius sighed, looking at the Otherse;f, who was scrutinizing herself in the mirror with a slightly perplexed expression, "Right, so what's with the armour? Can you take it off?" When she neglected to respond, he cleared his throat pointedly. "Earth to girl with a very long name. Can you get rid of the armour? And then we need to get you some clothes."

She glared at the human, obviously annoyed with him, "What's wrong with it? I have never worn anything else."

"Weeelll, it has to do with me thinking you were a whore. And the fact that no one wears armour anymore. Much less like that... Wait, those horns aren't armour... Shite, we need a Glamour too."

Black Gold Saw glared at the man, considering her options. After a few tense moments, she finally nodded and twisted her hand. The horns vanished, followed quickly by her hands. Under the metal, the same, inhumanely pale skin could be seen. Then she crouched slightly, unbuckling the armour on her legs, stepping away from the terrifying armour in bare feet. "Can someone explain to me why I've been de-aged? I look like I'm sixteen now. Maybe fifteen."

The humans looked at each other in confusion before glancing at Black Gold Saw. Harry was the first to notice the difference. Without her armour and horns, it appeared that she had indeed lost a few years. In fact, she was about Hermione's size now. Sirius shrugged, "Huh... We'll have to ask Dumbledore later... Hermione, can you lend Goldie here some of your clothes, I'm pretty sure she'll fit now."

Hermione nodded, darting out of the room with a worried glance at the newly summoned daemon. Black Gold Saw smirked at teenage witch, her now violet eyes flickering red for a moment, "So, where is this Voldemort? And who is he?"

Sirius shrugged, gesturing at Harry. "Well, we prefer to call him You-Know-Who in this world, due to the fact that he Tabooed his own name in the old war. As for the man himself, he's an evil wizard. 16 years ago, the wizarding world was at war with him and his followers. Nothing we did seemed to get rid of him. We couldn't find him, his followers were untouchable, it was hopeless. And then he tried to attack Harry's family. No one really knows why, but when he tried to kill him, the Killing Curse, a wand based insta-kill spell, rebounded off the baby and took him out. We all thought it was over, but... Somehow he survived. And he's back. Harry is his primary target, but he wants to take over the world."

Black Gold Saw snorted, rolling her eyes. An impressive feat considering her face scarcely moved during that. In the same, soft monotone, she replied, "So I got in the way of one of my bretheren being summoned just so I could fight some melodramatic drama whore?"

Harry and Sirius couldn't help but laught aloud at her dismissal of the most powerful Dark Lord since Gellart Grindlewald. The shaggy haired man nodded, "Yep. Got it on the nose. Sorry for wasting your time."

Black Gold Saw huffed in annoyance, shaking her head, "Is everything going to be this boring?"

Ron swallowed nervously, "Well... There's school."

"Oh great, a human school. My human counterpart is already a school counsellor."

Harry raised an eyebrow at the human counterpart statement, but decided to ignore it for now, "Er... It's also a school for magic. You do know magic right? Do daemons know magic, Sirius?"

Black Gold Saw glared at Harry, "For the last time, I am not a Daemon. I am an Otherself. The counterpart of a human soul. We shoulder the burden of our counterparts and fight for them. Every human, at least if they are female, has an Otherself." She let her statement sink in to make sure they understood, before turning to Sirius. "I do not know if I have this... Magic. What is it?"

Sirius grimaced. He wasn't exactly the teaching type, that was more Remus's job. "Um... I'll let Dumbledore or Remus explain it tommorow." He was saved from any further questions as Hermione crept back into the room with an armful of clothes. "Oh, good. You're back. Is everything clear?"

Hermione nodded, handing the clothes to Black Gold Saw before scurrying away, "Y-yes. Ginny is still asleep, and I think Mrs. Weasley is too."

Sirius grinned, using a wand he had borrowed from Mad-Eye earlier on to animate a quilt to act as an impromtu changing curtain for the resident Otherself. "Great. I'm going to use Hedwig to send a few letters out. And we still need to figure out new sleeping arrangements."

Black Gold Saw picked up a black cotton shirt, inspecting it silently for a moment before picking up on Sirius's conversation and speaking up, "Am I sleeping in my own quarters?"

Sirius shook his head, "No... You two wouldn't mind having an extra occupant for a bit, would you?"

Harry shrugged while Ron just gulped nervously. Black Gold Saw stepped out shortly after. Her top was now replaced by the black shirt, but she kept the shorts. "So what, am I sleeping with him?" She gestured at Harry, who sputtered and turned a bright red.

Sirius frowned, concentrating on turning an old dresser into a usable bed, "No, that won't be necsessary. I'll grab some blankets for you to use, but you'll have to stay in here tonight. After that, we'll deal with it."

Black Gold Saw nodded and flopped on the bed, looking up at the ceiling with an expressionless mask. The Golden Trio watched her nervously, sitting in an awkward silence. After a mere thirty seconds, she glanced at them, irritation evident in her purple eyes. "Spit it out, I know you have questions. One each though. Your friend is already going through the linens as I speak."

Ron swallowed and raised his hand first, "Er... What was that massive sword thing you pointed at us? And where did you put it if you don't have magic?"

Her face twitched slightly, "That was two, but I can answer both. That was King Saw, my weapon. Each Otherself has a weapon and sometimes an extra piece of equipment. As for where we store it... I don't know. It's basically a part of us."

Hermione raised her hand next, "Hang on... How do you know where Sirius is? It's not like you can see him or anything."

The Otherself raised her eyebrow slightly, "Is that so? I'm the Overseer of the Otherworld. Right now, this building can be considered my realm and I can see everything within it. I was following Sirius as he moved through this building."

Hermione opened her mouth to respond further, but was silenced from a single, red eyed glare from Black Gold Saw. "One question each, girl. I let it slide for ginger over there because he isn't the brightest on common sense."

Harry frowned, looking carefully at Black Gold Saw. What did he want to know? There would be time to learn about her past later, but there must have been a reason she wanted to answer a question, right? Maybe he was overlooking things... "Umm... What should we call you? Or rather, what would you prefer to be called?"

Black Gold Saw blinked in confusion. This human was different. The other two immediately wanted to know about her abilities, but this one just wanted to know what to call her? "As I said, my name is Black Gold Saw. However, I have been called Gold... and if you want a more human name, then you can call me Saya. Saya Irino."

.

"Hang on, isn't that the name of your human counterpart?" Harry looked at the red haired girl in surprise.

Wait, he remembered that? Interesting... The newly dubbed Saya nodded, "Yes. I'm rather surprised you remembered that."

Harry ducked his head in embarassment as Sirius reentered the room carrying a pile of blankets and pillows. Saya glanced distastefully at the cloth, accepting it from Sirius, "Is everything paisley? Nothing black or white? This colour is hurting my eyes."

Sirius shrugged, "THey all came from the Weasley's house. Sorry."

Saya shrugged, "Oh well... I suppose I should get to know who I'm working for, starting with the most intelligent." She leveled a stare at Sirius, who bowed dramatically.

"Sirius Black, unfortunate owner of this house and wrongly accuse fugitive."

Saya blinked owlishly, "Wrongly convicted? Did you show up at the wrong trial?"

Sirius waved her off, "Nah, didn't get one."

"Oh..." Then she turned back to the children, "And what about the three idiots who thought it would be a good idea to drag an Otherself out of her Domain?"

"Er... Hermione Granger. And what's a domain?"

"Ron Weasley..."

"I'm Harry Potter."

Saya sat up, a thoughtful light in her eyes, "Huh... And why exactly does a Dark Lord want you dead, Potter? I mean, I get why he would want to kill someone, but why you specifically?"

Harry shrugged, "Like we said earlier, Voldemort tried to kill me when I was a baby, and it backfired on him. Now he's back and no one will believe it."

"What, did he have some sort of secret resurrection ritual in some graveyard?"

Harry nodded.

"Seriously? I need to send Dead Mas...ter... Magic. You use magic." Saya suddenly slumped slightly, the cold, unfeeling additude leaving her. Her ace remained expresionless though."

Sirius frowned, "Is there something wrong, Black Gold Saw?"

"Call me Saya... And I think so. My... _sister_ is known as the Magi of the Otherworld. She is an expert on magic, partiicularly in necromancy and transfiguration. I don't really know what that last one is, but it doesn't matter. I don't know how to use magic."

The animagius frowned, "Oh. That might be a problem. When Dumbledore gets here, we can discuss getting you a wand and maybe some extra tutoring before the start of term. As for if you can use magic... Let me try something." He carefully approached the girl, drawing the borrowed wand. "It's an old charm to measure magical power. Could you stand up please?"

The girl nodded, sliding of the bed. Sirius waved the wand over her, muttering a quick incantation. A series of numbers appeared over her head, flickering silently as the spell worked to find er magic. Suddenly, the numbers froze, registering at 1304. Sirius nearly choked as he saw the number. "Merlin's beard!"

Hermione frowned, "What is it? Is that powerful?"

Sirius chuckled, dispersing the numbers with a flick of his wrist. "Let's just say Dumbledore is old as dirt, with over a century of training, and he registers at a 1937. This girl here has never picked up a wand or spellbook in her life, and she's blindingly powerful already. I think it's safe to say you have magic, Saya."

"Hmm... Thank you. I think..." She frowned, thinking quietly to herself for a moment. "There is an old man wearing rather... eccentric robes heading towards the door as we speak. Do you know him?"

Sirius tucked the wand away, rushing to the door and opening it to allow Professor Dumbledore into the room. THe ancient wizard gazed calmly at the each of the occupants before coming to Saya. "Good evening, Black Gold Saw. Or should I say morning?" He smiled at the confused light in her eyes, his own eyes twinkling in amusement. "Sirius told me your name. I must say though, I was never expecting to meet an Otherself in my time. What is a Japanese Soul Daemon doing in England?"

She just raised an eyebrow and pointed at three guilty looking students, and then at the ritual circle on the floor.

"Ah... May I see your Seal? Just a precaution, I assure you."

Saya narrowed her eyes slighty at the old human, beore relutantly opening her palm and allowing the seal to project out. He leaned closer to inspect it, taking care not to actually touch the Otherself. "Well, while my Latin is a tad rusty, this should keep the girl in check. I should expect as much from the Lovegoods. ALthough I am concerned about the way it binds Harry to you, and vise versa. From what little I know of your subspecies, Harry has just become your er... counterpart for lack of a better word."

Save for a small twitch in the corner of her eye, Saya showed no emotional reaction. However, a sudden, heavy tension filled the air. "And my original human?"

"Oh, I'm sure he or she is safe. Please calm yourself, I am not going to harm you. There is nothing wrong." Dumbledore sighed, shaking his head wearily. "It's been a long night for all of us. Why don't you children go to sleep while Sirius and I find a way to keep Molly from... Being Molly."

Saya watched the adults and Hermione shuffle out of the room, hearing the door lock with a sharp click once they had left. Then she turned her gaze upon the two boys, watvhing them climb into their respective beds and (after several reluctant glances in her general direction) lie down to catch a few hours of sleep. Eventually, Saya decided to do the same, laying flat on her bed. Of course, she failed to get any sort of sleep, being an Otherself. But she closed her eyes anyway, trying to sleep or at least black out to pass the time.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXO

Ginny knew something was up. Hermione had been in and out of her room all night, and wouldn't say a word about it. Ronald was uncharacteristically late for breakfast, and now Dumbledore was in Headquarters, speaking softly with Sirius. But of course, her ability to detect trouble was completely overshadowed by her mother, who had decades of practice with the her many children. She was already glaring suspiciously at Dumbledore and Sirius as she prepared the table for breakfast.

After a few minutes, the teenagers in question ventured down the stairs, looking rther guilty. Following closely behind them, with a completely emotionless mask, was a red haired girl she had never seen before. She was about to open her mouth to ask about her, but Molly beat her to it.

"Who is that?" The Weasly matron glared at Dumbledore, a soup ladle in one hand.

Dumbledore smiled gently, gesturing to Saya, "This is Miss Irino. She's a transfer student from Japan."

Molly tightened her grip on the wooden ladle, giving Dumbledore a look that clearly said she wasn't buying it. Sirius chortled and shook his head, "I told you it wasn't going to work."

The headmaster sighed and bowed his head, "One could dream, SIrius..."

The girl in question leveled a purple stare at Molly, silencing her with a simple raise of her hand, "I am Black Gold Saw, an Otherself those three summoned last night in order to defeat a man named..." She paused to check her seal. "Tom Marvolo Riddle."

Molly looked confused for a moment and glanced at Dumbledore, "Albus, what is an Otherself?"

The headmaster cleared his throat, clearly uncomfortable under the scrutinizing gaze of the Weasley matron, "Well... It's a type of Daemon, usually found in Japan."

"A daemon." Mrs. Weasley slowly turned to look at Black Gold Saw, who returned her glare without flinching."

"Yes."

"You are... a _daemon?"_ Molly was practically growling now, her hands clenched into tight fists.

Saya nodded, "Yes, I do believe that was confirmed. I could speak louder if you're deaf, I just don't like raising my voice."

Molly's jaw dropped, and then she turned to Sirius and Dumbledore, tearing into them for allowing something like this."

XOXOXOXOXOXO

"Well, Harry? Do you have anything to say for yourself?"

Harry glanced at Molly, before shaking his head tersely, "No."

Mrs. Weasley narrowed her eyes, "And why is that?"

"Because it's not like you'd listen anyways."

Saya glanced over at the boy, a light smirk flickering on her face as Molly's mouth snapped shut.

XOXOXOXOXO

Saya watched Sirius carefully mimicking the movements he made with his wand.

"Now remember, magic itself is almost completely intent based. An incantation, a wand movement, both used to direct your intent. Let's see you try it. The incantation is Expelliarmus."

Saya glanced at the thin stick in her hand, then at the wooden dummy Sirius had set up. Why should she disarm someone trying to attack her. Nonlethal just wouldn't do. She narrowed her eyes at the dummy and imposed Dragon Slayer's image in her mind. With a silent snarl, she jabbed her borrowed wand at the wooden figure. Sirius opened his mouth as if to correct her, only to curse and jump as the dummy was reduced to kindling in an explosive blast.

Sirius looked at the ruined target, his jaw agape, "Right... That was a blasting curse... silent too... I think we need to have a talk about nonlethal magic before we go any further.

XOXOXOXOXO

Fred and George were clutching onto their butterbeers for dear life, shooting fearful glances at Saya every now and then. No one had seen them for two or three hours, and when they finally did show up, they looked absolutely terrified. Mrs. Weasley, who was giving Harry the impression of the massive volcano that erupted in America when he was a child, was shrieking angrily at Saya, convinced that she was responsible for the state of the twins. Sirius was beginning to get the other children out of the kitchen, only to be stopped when he tried to get Harry to leave.

"I'm the reason she's here, Sirius, so she's my responsibility."

Sirius stared at Harry for a moment, before nodding and making a run for it. Harry turned his attention back to Saya, who was staring blandly at the infuriated Mrs. Weasley. For some reason, he was reminded of Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon whenever they yelled at him for something that wasn't his fault. Then he remembered that she wasn't either of those people.

"Shut. Up."

Mrs. Weasley's jaw worked up and down for a few more seconds before she, and Harry, realized that he had wandlessly silenced her. She whipped around, pointing her wand at him and mouthing angrily. Harry stared at the glowing tip for what seemed like an eternity before scowling, "You're no better than Snape." He left the room, dragging Saya by the hand. Mrs. Weasley stood there, shellshocked.

 _ **So yeah, Harry got a spine and summoned a Japanese Daemon... Fun times. I can't wait to see how Hogwarts handles this predicament. The veritable queen of the Otherselfs, attending school as a regular student... Oh, it is going to be**_ **hell** _ **for some of the teachers. *cough* Umbitch *cough*!**_

 _ **In other news, while I**_ **am** _ **working on my other stories, I've been toying with bringing Evie from Paladins into my circle of crossovers. Maybe Eragon as well... Not likely on that last one, as I don't like doing mainstream crossovers, but it's an interesting concept. So, carry on, you faithful readers, carry on!**_

 _ **NOTE: I will likely be taking a break during the Christmas holidays so I can spend time with my family. So... heads up, people.**_


	2. MAJOR AN

_**Alright, this is a major announcement! I have just created my very own page! For a while now, I've been receiving suggestions that I try to get paid for my work, and for the most part, I've dismissed them. After all, I enjoy writing, and even more so I enjoy people enjoying my work. I didn't want to have people pay for it. But recent events have left me... well, I'm dealing with a case of fraud and a recent pay problem wiped my account. I have student loans to pay, a phone bill, and a credit card to pay off. It isn't completely FUBAR yet, but I think it's getting there. I dislike asking for help (my parents have always had a field day with that one), but I think it's time to suck up my pride and turn to my fans. I know it I don't have that large of a fan base compared to most authors on this site. Heck, why would I? I don't exactly write mainstream stuff... However, I think it's time to suck up my pride and start looking for some help. My page is www. Writing_Soldier. I'm not asking for or expecting much, and I'm betting most of the people here can't really help... but if you could spread the word, that would be great. I need all the help I can get. Now... I think it's time to answer a few concerns I noticed in my reviews. Especially in "The Force of Change."**_

 _ **So... I think the biggest question I keep getting is: "When will I update my stories?"**_

 _ **Well, there are some thing's you need to know. My updates may or may not happen, dependant upon my schedule. I am a soldier in the United States Army. I have duties to attend to throughout the day, and sometimes I just don't have the time to get to this. I am however, concentrating a little bit more on "The Force of Change" right now, so you can expect more regular updates on that. In fact, the next chapter should come out within the next twenty-four hours of this update being made. So... head on over there if you want some of my writing.**_

 _ **Second: I have received several requests to see/review rough drafts of other stories... I'm actually confused by this. I'm not a professional writer. My mother is definitely a better writer than me as a teacher and someone who has taught up to college level classes. (She's a math teacher right now, and the best in Texas.) She was the one who taught me how to read and write before I really even started in school. I have her to thank for everything I know about writing (really, I'm pretty sure she could teach some of my old high school teachers a few things). As for reviewing and giving suggestions to said writers...**_

 _ **I'm going to give you a bit of advice. I've been writing since my freshman/sophomore year of high school. My first attempt at writing a story, for those of you who remember that far, was a ten chapter, 900 word story full of errors and problems. I have actually put more time and effort into my writing than... well, just about anything else, really. I think the only other "legitimate" thing I do more than write is play music. The point is, just work at it. I don't write like people were taught in school. There's no rough draft, no brainstorming, nothing of the sort. Everything you see on my page is completely free-written. It's my raw thoughts and how I see things playing out. Minimal planning and editing. Even what you're seeing now is simply my thoughts on the matter. I've come a long way from the days of the first Black Rose... The "Force of Change" has already grown into a ten chapter, 30,000 word novella. I love to write, and I'm glad others love to read my stories. If you already enjoy what you're doing, then keep on doing it. If you really want suggestions on your writing, then don't just ask one person. Post your chapters! Your best critics won't always come from people more experienced than you, but the ones who actually read your stories! Post the stories and then let the readers decide. If you want me to look at it afterwards, then you can just PM me the link! I enjoy reading stories as much as I enjoy writing!**_

 _ **Number Three: This is concerning some of my stories that people have been anxiously been awaiting updates for stories such as: "An Act of Faith," "Tomorrow's Destiny V2," and my BRS/Harry Potter Crossovers. I can assure you, there are chapters in the works. I actually lost a lot of work on "Claws and Wands" due to a computer crash... Really need to get a new one at some point... But that's later down the road. MUCH later. Just be patient, and your chapters will come. Like the saying goes, "A watched pot never boils."**_

 _ **Number Four: This is actually an extra note concerning the page. For those who donate the most, you will receive a cameo in one of my stories. As time goes on, and I get more time on my hands, the rewards will increase. I will try and take commissions for my music covers if I ever manage to do any.**_

 _ **Number Five: This is a shoutout to my brother. I won't say his name, but you know who you are. It's annoying trying to communicate with you on this site if you skirt around the shadows and only comment as a guest. For crying out loud, it takes two minutes to make a basic profile on this site! Make one!**_

 _ **Alright... Now we come to the biggest thing I saw on my reviews for "The Force of Change." These are answers to reviews put out by a guest going by the name of Axcel!**_

 ** _1\. Concerning Vader's title. You're right on the Supreme Commander part, I just like the sound of High Commander. It gives it that shock and awe feeling. As for the Lord Vader shite, Lord is his title and official capacity within the Empire, while Darth Vader is his name. It's like a Lord in old England. He is a Sith Lord, yes, but no one really knows what that is. So, he has the title of Lord, and since his name is Darth Vader, that makes him Lord Darth Vader. According to the Imperial Census, his name really is Darth Vader, which is why Leia literally calls him Darth. It isn't giving him a title, it's saying his first name!_**

 ** _2\. Concerning the Lightsaber: While it's entertaining to think of a lightsaber as some sort of contained laser weapon, the truth is that it's just not scientifically possible. A laser would be invisible, whether it's contained or not, and the amount of energy it would have to put out to cut through durasteel is equivalent to that of a small star. Looking at it from a scientific standpoint, you need something that fills these requirements._**

 ** _a. Hot enough to _melt_ through steel, not cut it._**

 ** _b. Hisses and hums as it moves through a medium_**

 ** _c. produces Ozone and Ionized gasses as it travels through the air._**

 ** _If we were to follow these three requirements, then the only suitable material is plasma. Superheated, ionized gasses that can be manipulated to create a glowing blade. Using electromagnetic fields, one can contain the plasma, aka an Emitter Shroud. The sound generated upon activation, is actually very similar to that of a plasma torch being activated._**

 _ **2: Concerning Ozpin's assumption about the Empire. Remember, Ozpin is very close friends with another military commander. Despite James's disciplinary attitude, he is still very caring about the people surrounding him, and doesn't generally make death threats or outright kill people. Vader has killed nearly a hundred men in a single night, more than half of those deaths occurring simply because they were in his way. He already has made several threats, one in particular being a direct threat, to Ozpin's life. And since Vader already admitted to being the High/Supreme Commander of the Galactic Empire, he knows that Vader is lying when he says "superiours." There is only one other person Vader could possibly be referring to when he says "report to his superiours." The Emperor. Also, he admitted to being second in command, a Dark Lord of the Sith (what good, benevolent empire would put a Dark Lord in charge?), and that he had the authority to arrest and kill anyone within the borders of said Empire. Glynda was watching that previously.**_

 ** _3\. Concerning Glynda: Glynda was the one who watched Vader ruthlessly cut down over a dozen men with no effort at all, during which he was in fact _toying_ with them. He's threatened Ozpin already, she knows he was ready to kill the Malachite twins for attacking him, and he straight up admitted to killing thousands of people with his bare hands and millions, if not billions more through his orders! Also, he states that he wishes to call upon the Empire to assist him with leaving the planet, and judging from his words, that means they will be coming to subjugate the planet as well. She is thinking about the students when considering the Rebel Alliance. She doesn't want the students to be hurt or subjugated by an Imperialistic threat from beyond the planet's confines._**

 ** _4\. Concerning Vader's saber: If you notice, I specifically stated that he used a Limiter Ring to generate the required dampening energy to convert a Sith Saber to a training saber. Yes, it is something I just threw in there, but I needed to keep him from outright killing his students due to their own incompetence. Neo's saber is an old Jedi blade, meaning it has the required settings. Vader's saber is a Sith blade, meaning he had to use an accessory to make it safer._**

 ** _5\. The Emperor is an idiot sometimes._**

 ** _Alright... I think that covers everything. Remember, even if you can't donate, then try to spread the word around. Who knows maybe I'll get more readers out of this!_** **_Sincerely,_** **_Dr. Bartholomew J. Tucker._**


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